Children as young as four across Northern Ireland are attending nursery schools containing potentially harmful asbestos. There are currently 65 primary schools, including nurseries, which have either not yet eradicated the material or are currently in the process of doing so. At secondary level schools, there are 28 which are still to eliminate the insulating material from their schools or which have already taken steps to rid their buildings of it.
These figures were confirmed by the Department of Education, who also listed dozens of schools which have already completed asbestos removal schemes as well as those who plan to carry them out over the next two years. Education Minister Caitriona Ruane also confirmed that the Education and Library Boards (ELBs) had completed asbestos surveys of schools and other educational buildings and all top priority asbestos has been removed. "Where it is not considered necessary to remove the asbestos immediately, the ELBs and other school authorities are responsible for managing the asbestos safely."
However, the majority of schools across Northern Ireland still have asbestos remaining in their buildings, an unsurprising figure given that asbestos containing materials were widely used in schools constructed between 1945 and 1980. The Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSE NI) has stressed that the potential exposure of teachers and pupils in these buildings remains low, with either the asbestos deemed unnecessary to be removed or being dealt with by an asbestos management plan.
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